[Note: Read up to Chapter - 39 on P patron at: p-atreon.com/Knockturn_Alley]
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"Well then, I reckon you've got nothing more to say, have you?"
A grin spread across Xeno's face, and all the tension that had been written across it moments before melted away.
He didn't need anyone to explain what had just happened. The reaction of the blood totem said it all.
"The bloodline contract's been triggered. That means Aris's lineage is pure Shafiq—
the real deal. He's fully entitled to inherit everything the family left behind."
He turned to Aris with a chuckle.
"Congratulations, boy. Looks like you're about to be absolutely minted."
At his side, Luna smiled too—her usual dreamy air now tinged with excitement.
She didn't know the exact size of the Shafiq fortune, but from the goblins' reactions, she could guess it wasn't small.
More importantly, she was just glad Aris had passed the test. She could tell he had something special about him from the start.
"This... this is a contract of the highest tier..."
The old goblin was still staring at the totem, eyes wide, voice barely a whisper.
He stepped forward slowly and peered into the golden glow, carefully inspecting the characters etched into the air above the totem.
"The purest Shafiq bloodline... highest level inheritance rights… A direct heir still exists?"
He shook his head in disbelief.
"How can this be possible...?"
Then, all at once, he turned sharply, his piercing gaze locking onto Aris.
"Where on earth have you come from?!"
The old goblin's voice rose, laced with disbelief.
"The Shafiq family vanished nearly half a century ago! How do you suddenly turn up now? This doesn't make sense—
there must be some kind of trickery involved!"
He was so agitated, he stepped forward as if to grab Aris by the shoulders.
But Xeno moved sharply, positioning himself between the goblin and the boy.
"Grublord, I'd strongly advise you to watch yourself," he said in a low, firm voice, eyes steely.
"Aris is now one of Gringotts' most valuable clients. Do you really want to lay hands on him?"
The old goblin—Grublord—blinked, startled by the sudden shift in tone.
His moment of excitement faded, and he took a slow step back.
"N-no, of course not," he mumbled, regaining his composure.
The information revealed by the blood contract had made everything abundantly clear.
There could be no doubt now—Aris was the last living heir of the Shafiq family.
And the moment the contract manifested, the inheritance process had already been finalised.
Aris was now, by all magical law and Gringotts regulation, the sole legal inheritor of the Shafiq fortune.
As a senior goblin at Gringotts, Grublord knew better than to provoke a client of that standing.
To defy the outcome of a blood contract—or worse, ignore it—would be to undermine the very foundation of Gringotts.
And without the spirit of the contract, the bank would lose all trust among the wizarding world…
...and that, for goblins, would be ruinous.
Though he was old, Grublord's mind was still sharp.
"Honoured guest, please follow me. I'll arrange for your vault to be opened at once."
There was still a flicker of reluctance in the old goblin's eyes, but he bowed respectfully to Aris all the same. With no other choice, he turned and led the group out of the reception room.
They made their way back into the main hall.
Once there, Grublord raised a hand and beckoned to a goblin standing off to one side—a wiry fellow with an exceptionally long nose.
"Griphook, come with me. We're opening the Shafiq family vault for our most distinguished guest."
The moment those words left his mouth, the entire Gringotts hall fell into stunned silence.
Then, like a dam breaking, a wave of whispers and gasps swept through the room.
Dozens of goblins—who had previously looked down from their counters with cold detachment—now craned their necks, whispering furiously among themselves.
Every pair of eyes turned to Aris.
He stood calmly under their scrutiny, casting a slow glance around the room before giving a polite nod and a small smile.
"He really is the heir to the Shafiq family!"
"The bloodline test confirmed it—how can that be?!"
"What's Grublord playing at? Has he been tricked by that little upstart?"
"A Shafiq heir turning up after all these years? That's mad—something's not right here!"
The once-arrogant goblins behind the counters were now openly flustered, their whispers rising into a low roar.
It had been decades since the name Shafiq had stirred up such a storm—
—and now, it was back on every goblin's tongue.
Only the goblins truly understood the scale of the Shafiq family's vault.
It was a fortune so vast that even a spendthrift family couldn't burn through it in a hundred years.
And it didn't stop there—to this day, the Shafiq family's various businesses and investments were still generating wealth… a staggering amount every year.
Had it not been for the airtight contractual protections placed on it, that gold would've been picked clean long ago by opportunists and vultures.
But now—the rightful heir had returned. And that fact alone was enough to shake the wizarding world to its core.
As expected, word of what had just happened inside Gringotts—the sudden reappearance of a Shafiq heir and his formal inheritance of the family fortune—had already begun to spread like wildfire.
And many were already paying attention.
Aris, however, paid no mind to the whispers.
He kept his gaze fixed on the goblin named Griphook.
That name was etched in his memory—this was the same goblin who, in the not-so-distant future, would play a key role in the events around Harry Potter and the others.
Griphook gave a respectful bow.
"We are honoured to serve you, esteemed guest."
Then, with a glance at Grublord, he turned and began leading the way toward a stone passage off to the left side of the main hall.
That passage led to the heart of Gringotts' underground vault system.
After winding through the corridor, they reached a narrow stone platform, beside which ran a slim, twisting railway.
A mine cart stood waiting nearby.
Griphook hopped up, grabbed the control lever, and turned to the others.
"Hop in, if you please," he said, gesturing for them to board.
Grublord took the lead and sat in the cart.
"Right then, let's be off!"
Xeno placed a hand on Aris's shoulder, then took hold of Luna's hand, and the three of them climbed into the cart together.
The moment it jerked into motion, a loud, high-pitched creaking echoed through the tunnel.
The cart rattled along a narrow stone track, twisting deeper underground—until suddenly, it dipped sharply and sent them plunging downward.
The view opened up in an instant.
Before them spread a vast, shadowy underground lake, its surface rippling with dark, sluggish waves. Strange, glowing lights shimmered faintly across the cavern walls, casting a ghostly hue across the vast hollow.
Above their heads, massive stalactites hung like jagged fangs, while stalagmites jutted from the ground below. Droplets of water plinked rhythmically into the lake, filling the space with an eerie, almost magical ambience.
"Just a heads-up, honoured guest," Grublord called out over the wind.
"The deeper we go, the more secure the vaults become. The most important ones are buried furthest from the surface—it'll be a bit of a journey!"
His voice was nearly drowned out by the howling wind as the cart whipped through the tunnels.
Aris grimaced.
In his head, he was already grumbling.
This cart ride is dreadful. Rattly, noisy, completely unsafe—like a dodgy rollercoaster you regret the moment it starts.
Beside him, little Luna was clinging to his hand, her face pale and tense.
Even with her usual calm, dreamy demeanour, no one could blame her for looking nervous.
This place was overwhelming.
"It's alright—we're nearly there!" Aris leaned in and shouted above the wind, close to her ear.
He had to raise his voice—anything less and she wouldn't hear him at all.
At the front, Griphook stood firmly, holding up an old kerosene lantern.
As they passed beneath another cluster of jagged stalactites, his eyes narrowed slightly, and a sharp glint crossed his expression.
"Hold on tight!" he called.
"Just past that waterfall—we're almost there!"
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[Note: Read up to Chapter - 39 on P patron at: p-atreon.com/Knockturn_Alley]